When performing editing work, a user loads image data captured from a document into a PC (Personal Computer), displays an image corresponding to the image data on a display screen of the PC, and inserts characters or graphics into the displayed image data. At this time, the insertion of the character data or graphics data is made by overwriting the character data or graphics data on the acquired image data, so that the inserted characters or graphics may overlap with an important part of the image depending on the insertion position. In view of the above problem, users desire to add margin data of an arbitrary size to an arbitrary position of the original image so as to insert the characters or graphics into portions other than the image.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. HEI-05-183683 proposes an image reading apparatus that adds white data to acquire image data. More specifically, when reading a document having a size smaller than the readout width of the image reading apparatus, the image reading apparatus adds white data to the acquired image data to thereby create an image corresponding to a standard paper size.
However the image reading apparatus disclosed in the Publication No. HEI-05-183683 adds the white data in such a manner that the entire size of an image becomes the standard paper size, so that a user cannot freely set the insertion position and size of the white data. In particular, in the case where image data of a document read out by the image reading apparatus is edited on a PC, a user cannot insert characters or graphics without overwriting the characters or graphics on the image data.